Parliamentary Elections in Bihor County and Their Results Between the Two World Wars
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Revista Română de Geografie Politică Year XII, no. 1, May 2010, pp. 98-115 ISSN 1454-2749, E-ISSN 2065-1619 Article no. 121109-187 PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN BIHOR COUNTY AND THEIR RESULTS BETWEEN THE TWO WORLD WARS Gabriel MOISA * Abstract: Between the World Wars, Oradea was a cosmopolitan city. As we have seen, the Romanians were not the majority population. Those who dominated the city under demographic and economic aspect were the Hungarians and Jews. In political terms, since the early 20’s, the most of the Romanians of Bihor County were subordinated to the most important party in Transylvania, the Romanian National Party, while the Hungarians adopted immediately after unification a political attitude circumscribed to passivity. After this period, the political life will greatly diversify in Transylvania together with the offensive of the parties in the Old Kingdom while the Hungarians will gradually accept to engage themselves in the political affairs of the city and country. Key words: Bihor county, parliamentary elections, interwar period, politic parties After unification, the political Bihor County life experienced substantial changes absolutely necessary to fit to the administrative structure of the Great Romania. In political terms, since the early 20’s, the most of the Romanians of Bihor County were subordinated to the most important party in Transylvania, the Romanian National Party, while the Hungarians adopted immediately after unification a political attitude circumscribed to passivity. After this period, the political life will greatly diversify in Transylvania together with the offensive of the parties in the Old Kingdom while the Hungarians will gradually accept to engage themselves in the political affairs of the city and country. During the interwar period, Oradea was a cosmopolitan city. As we have seen, the Romanians were not the majority population. Those who dominated the city under demographic and economic aspect were the Hungarians and Jews. The parliamentary elections on November 2-8th in 1919 were the first in the history of Romania held under universal suffrage. The General Arthur Văitoianu’s Government (September 27 th - November 28 th 1918) had as main mission the very organization of these elections. The ballot was also the first to which the Romanians took part from all the historical provinces united with Romania. Văitoianu’s Government was closely controlled by Ion I. C. Brătianu. That is why the government kept in its administrative functions mayors and prefects, so, just those who organized the election 1. Under the conditions the whole * University of Oradea, Faculty of History, Geography and International Relations, History Department, Universităţii St., 410087, Oradea, Romania, e-mail: [email protected] 1 Ion Mamina, Ioan Scurtu, Guverne şi guvernanţi 1916-1938 , Editura Silex, Bucureşti, 1996, p. 32 (hereinafter Ion Mamina, Ioan Scurtu, Guverne şi guvernanţi... ) http://rrgp.uoradea.ro Parliamentary Elections in Bihor County and Their Results Between the Two… 99 apparatus belonged to the National Liberal Party, three of the major parties of the Romanian political spectrum, the People’s League, the Conservative Democrat Party and the Socialist Party refused to participate to elections believing that they could not take place properly 2. As a Transylvanian and Bihor local specific we need to say that the Hungarians have adopted for these elections the political passivity. Despite of these predictions, the Liberals have not won the election. Important successes have been won by the political parties in the territories recently united with Romania: the Romanian National Party of Transylvania, Peasants’ Party of Bessarabia, and the Unification’s Democratic Party of Bukovina. These were the main beneficiary of the election. The elections on November 2-8th in 1919 also meant the beginning of the marginalization of the conservative parties in the context of introducing the universal suffrage. Accordingly, in Bihor County, where the political parties in the Kingdom did not organize local political structures, the election favored the most powerful local political party in Romania, the Romanian National Party. Moreover, it was the only political party which was seriously electioneering in Oradea and Bihor County. However, not everywhere the political candidates have won. In total, the organization of Bihor County Romanian National Party sent in the Parliament of the Great Romania 23 representatives: 18 deputies and 5 senators 3. Members: Senators: Successful Successful Constituency Constituency candidate candidate Justin Ardelean Coriolan Pop Oradea Oradea I – II Dumitru Ionaş Partenie Cosma Beiuş Constantin Pavel Beiuş Andrei Ille Salonta Gheorghe Crişan Vaşcău Gavril Cosma Ceica Aurel Pinţia Beliu Roman Ciorogariu Aleşd 4 Gheorghe Miculaş Criştior Petru E. Papp Răbăgani Dumitru Lascu Cefa Teodor Popa Tileagd Lazăr Iacob Aleşd Sever Sălăjan Sălard Emeric Vaina Barcăul Mare Iuliu Chiş Marghita Gheorghe Moroianu Borodul Mare Ioan Iacob Ceica Victor Pop Leta Mare Aurel Lazăr Tinca Nicolae Roxin Salonta Although the Romanian National Party conducted a very active campaign, not all over the official candidates of this party had prevailed. In this way, people who were not official candidates of the party or independents managed to gain access to the Parliament. Thus, at Săcuieni, the Count Nesselrode Karoly had prevailed by Gheorghe Pop’s withdrawal. Also, the winners of the districts Oradea II - Dumitru Ionaş, Cefa - Dumitru Lascu, Sălard - Sever Sălăjan were 2 Ibidem 3 Patria , Oradea, no. 210, November 8 th 1919, p. 2 4 Ibidem 100 Gabriel MOISA not the official candidates of the party, although they were part of the Romanian National Party 5. Interesting is that during the elections of 1919, few representatives of the Social Democratic Party also took part in several constituencies. We need to mention here Adrian Deseanu at Vaşcău and Kóos Mozés at Salonta. Like the other Transylvanian parliamentarians, those of Bihor County arrived in Bucharest on November 18 th 1919 being welcomed by Vasile Goldiş 6. It should be noted that to the elections of 1919 the Hungarians and Jews in Oradea and Bihor County, like those of the whole of Transylvania, adopted a passive policy attitude. It was their way of protesting against the territorial consequences of the World War I. Before the elections at the beginning of June 1920, by the law decree of May 2 nd 1920, all the electoral districts of Transylvania were reorganized. As a result the Bihor County had 10 constituencies for the Chamber of Deputies (Oradea, Beiuş, Beliu, Ceica, Aleşd, Salonta, Tinca, Sălard, Tileagd, Marghita) and five for Senate (Oradea, Beiuş, Tileagd, Marghita, Salonta). This time, more political parties were engaged in the battle. Together with the Romanian National Party, in the heat of the electoral battle also was powerfully engaged the People’s Party. It has created its subsidiary in Bihor County since the spring of 1920, mainly due to the insistence of Alexandru Averescu and Octavian Goga, who had been present in Bihor several times in the interval between the elections of 1919 and the beginning of June 1920 7. In Bihor County, the elections were held on June 3-4th 1920 for Chamber and, on June 6-7th 1920 for Senate. The Romanian National Party candidates were confronted with those of the People’s Party in all the electoral districts. The People’s Party was an ally of the Liberals who had not an established organization in Bihor County. From the Romanian National Party have candidate for the Chamber the following: Members: Senators: Candidate Constituency Candidate Constituency Justin Ardelean Demetriu Kiss Oradea Oradea I – II Dumitru Ionaş Ioan Buşiţa Beiuş Gheorghe Crişan Beiuş Mihai Pavel Marghita Aurel Pinţia Beliu Vasile Teuca Salonta 8 Teodor Popa Tileagd Grigore Egri Sălard Iuliu Chiş Marghita Gheorghe Moroianu Aleşd Nicolae Zigre Ceica Aurel Lazăr Tinca Dumitru Lascu Salonta 5 In Oradea II the official candidate was Gelu Egri, Salonta - the priest Petru Popa, Sălard - Dumitru Oros. These three have been left behind either because of withdrawal from the race - Gelu Egri, or because their counter candidates enjoyed the support of the inhabitants of those districts. The case of Dumitru Ionaş and Sever Sălăjan. 6 Patria , Oradea, no. 220, November 20 th 1919, p. 2 7 Ion Zainea, Economie şi societate în Bihor (de la Marea Unire la Dictatul de la Viena) , Editura Universităţii din Oradea, Oradea, 2007, p. 253 (hereinafter Ion Zainea, Economie şi societate în Bihor.. ) 8 Patria , Oradea, no. 210, November 8 th 1919, p. 2 Parliamentary Elections in Bihor County and Their Results Between the Two… 101 The People’s Party had itself candidates in every constituency, evidence of a better organization of the local branch of this political party. The candidates for the Chamber were: Members: Senators: Candidate Constituency Candidate Constituency Octavian Goga Oradea Iosif Diamandi Oradea Alexandru Averescu Gavril Cosma Beiuş Cristian Beiuş Andrei Horvath Tileagd Musceleanu Nicolae Bataria Marghita Iacob Lazăr Aleşd Ioan Pop Salonta 9 Nicolae Firu Marghita Constantin Banu Ceica Ioan Haidu Tinca Ioan Iacob Tileagd Petru Vuruclaş Sălard Nicolae Roxin Salonta Gheorghe Tulbure Beliu The elections in Bihor County were not held just in the best conditions. The abuses of the prefect George Bacaloglu, assisted by the general school inspector, George Tulbure, under the patronage of Alexandru Averescu’s government, based since March 13